Directions: Please add your name below along with a brief description of your topic for your Multigenre Inquiry/Writing Project. Make your topic a link, like I did for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so that you have a wiki page where you can post information about your topic, including process notes and products in progress, as well as possible sources, as needed. You will also want to develop an inquiry question, and related questions, about your particular topic.
Example:
Dr. Y -- I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and I have been interested in learning more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the evolution of the detective series he crafted. A key question: How did Doyle come up with the Holmes character and to what extent did it originate or reflect the profession of the detective at the time? And/or how far did Doyle's work go in terms of helping to shape the profession on into the future?
Add your name and topic info below...
Caroline - When I consider aspects of stories that have most captivated my attention or left me pondering things afterwards, I most typically find features of science fiction. Carefully constructed tales about hypothetical futures, whether utopian or dystopian, are an imaginative reflection of human response to current advancements or events surrounding them. I’d like to explore the genre through the past two centuries to see whether or not events are particularly tied/directly correlated to themes, and if so, how the genre serves as an interpretation of human concerns at the time. Some examples of study may include Frankenstein/vaccinations introduced, The Time Machine/invention of automobiles, Brave New World/depression & industrial revolution, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy/space exploration, and Cat’s Cradle/nuclear warfare & Cold War. This inquiry will not only review evolution of knowledge but also the Evolution of Human Response.
Margo - Vincent Van Gogh painted 800 paintings and sold only 1 during his lifetime.Today he is one of the most celebrated artists. The most recent sale of his painting Still Life, Vase and Daisies and Poppies sold for 50 million dollars. What were the influences that impacted his painting style? How did his painting style develop over the 10 year period?
Lindsey -- ...Recently I took an interest in understanding time. Albert Einstein brilliantly broke time down to fully grasp the concept. Aside from the theory of relativity I wondered how this man developed an understanding of the way the world operates. Alan Lightman perfectly captured Einstein's thoughts of time in Einstein's Dreams. A key question: What is Einstein's philosophy when studying a concept as complex as time that resulted in a simple equation?
Ina - I remember being captivated by the story of the Lost Colonyat Roanoke as a middle schooler! I always wonder what happened to the colonists. I love reading all the new theories of what may have happened to that brave group of people. There are updates and theories that I would like to study in more depth. I am particularly interested in the personal aspect. What happened to those brave people setting out into a New World?
Shasha - Recently I have been watching the cartoon series of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. I enjoyed it very much when I was a little girl, yet I had forgotten about details. As I review these episodes, I have become more interested in learning about how the author L. Frank Baum first came up with this idea, and what themes and ideas he was trying to convey through this story. I also want to know something about different versions and adaptations of this story and what impacts they have on the audience in different time periods, and also which versions are the most popular with audiences?
Shuhui -There is no doubt that Japanese culture is tied in a hundred and one ways with Chinese culture. To be specific, Chinese culture has had an enormous impact on almost all aspects of life in Japan for nearly 2,000 years, and the influences can still be seen today. On the other side, along with the rapidly economic and technological growth of Japan, Japanese cultures are also influencing on the development of Chinese civilization conversely. The cultural connection attracts me a lot to compare and contrast the cultures between China and Japan, including the language, history, literature, animation, technology and so forth.
Mei - I am always interested in psychology and the freewriting in class just reminded me to a book I have read many years ago -- Men are from Mars, women are from Venus by John Gray, and I am really curious about the differences between man and woman influenced by their gender. I would love to explore the following questions on a deeper level: How does man differ from woman psychologically? And what kind of influence does it have upon their life as couples or partners?
Jing- I am a big fan of the film series The Lord of the Rings. Knowing that the huge project was done in New Zealand, I am always dreaming of visiting this country one day. I am really eager to do researches on the places in New Zealand that were used for the filming. I want to know why the director chose these places and how they are presented in the films.
Yunfei - I love the thriller novel "Gone Girl" written by Gillian Flynn. I am a big fan of the novels including mystery, suspense, and crime genres. I watched the movie first and I really love the story then I read the book. The novel's suspense comes from the main character, Nick Dunne, and whether he is involved in the disappearance of his wife Amy. I am curious about whether Nick and Amy can live a happy life after all those stories happened between them.
Nicole- I'm a 28 year old obsessed with Theodor Geisel. What most people don't know is that before he became a world renowned children's author, he began his career writing political cartoon ads for newspapers. As he began writing children's books, he used a lot of characters to represent political leaders in society. I would love to research his books that have political meanings behind them.
Yue - Charlie and chocolate factory (Burton’s version) is one of my all-time favorite movies. The movie tells us a simple story, the only complicated part of the movie is the process of how Charlie got himself a golden ticket to be able to visit the mysterious and attractive chocolate factory. It’s weirdly entertaining and satisfying. I like the way the movie tells us a classic story with some great life lessons which offers a good opportunity to teach children about values. I'd like to do research on what makes the book so unique among children's books.
Chris - As an undergraduate, horror films and gothic literature formed one of my enduring interests. One theme that recurred to me over and over was that of the monster. This is similar to the notion of an antagonist--it's a personified obstacle for the protagonist. In horror, however, the monster is usually also the source of disgust or fear for the audience. Whether it is an eldritch fiend in the cosmological horror of H.P. Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood, or a more intimate and relatable teenage vampire in John Lindqvist's work, these characters are part of what marks the contours of horror as a genre. For my project, I would be interested in looking at different ways gothic authors understand the concept of the monster and how these creatures have their antecedents in our culture, politics, etc.
Deb - C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I love living in his imagination and noticing the different medieval elements he incorporates into his writing, especially in Narnia! While he exercised his creativity in ways I envy, his reason and logic is simultaneously dense and decipherable, even to the most illogical brain (like me!). He loved writing and creating new worlds and works. He shared these ideas with a close knit group of friends, including J. R. R Tolkien, called The Inklings. I want to look more into that group--the things they discussed, how they influenced each other's writings. Or, I would like to look into the letters he wrote to children. Many people would write him letters, but he especially paid close attention to letters from children.
Diana - As someone with an enduring interest in folklore, how stories are adapted and changed as always been a major interest of mine. I would love to extremely interested in the Matter of Britain . The story seems to be constantly told and retold, and is both loved by British and American writers and artists. Historians debate on whether or not King Arthur was a real person, new interpretations of the story are constantly appearing. I would love to examine more about what attracts people to the Matter of Britain and why we continue to retell the story.
Directions: Please add your name below along with a brief description of your topic for your Multigenre Inquiry/Writing Project. Make your topic a link, like I did for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so that you have a wiki page where you can post information about your topic, including process notes and products in progress, as well as possible sources, as needed. You will also want to develop an inquiry question, and related questions, about your particular topic.
Example:
Dr. Y -- I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and I have been interested in learning more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the evolution of the detective series he crafted. A key question: How did Doyle come up with the Holmes character and to what extent did it originate or reflect the profession of the detective at the time? And/or how far did Doyle's work go in terms of helping to shape the profession on into the future?
Add your name and topic info below...
Caroline - When I consider aspects of stories that have most captivated my attention or left me pondering things afterwards, I most typically find features of science fiction. Carefully constructed tales about hypothetical futures, whether utopian or dystopian, are an imaginative reflection of human response to current advancements or events surrounding them. I’d like to explore the genre through the past two centuries to see whether or not events are particularly tied/directly correlated to themes, and if so, how the genre serves as an interpretation of human concerns at the time. Some examples of study may include Frankenstein/vaccinations introduced, The Time Machine/invention of automobiles, Brave New World/depression & industrial revolution, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy/space exploration, and Cat’s Cradle/nuclear warfare & Cold War. This inquiry will not only review evolution of knowledge but also the Evolution of Human Response.
Margo - Vincent Van Gogh painted 800 paintings and sold only 1 during his lifetime.Today he is one of the most celebrated artists. The most recent sale of his painting Still Life, Vase and Daisies and Poppies sold for 50 million dollars. What were the influences that impacted his painting style? How did his painting style develop over the 10 year period?
Lindsey -- ...Recently I took an interest in understanding time. Albert Einstein brilliantly broke time down to fully grasp the concept. Aside from the theory of relativity I wondered how this man developed an understanding of the way the world operates. Alan Lightman perfectly captured Einstein's thoughts of time in Einstein's Dreams. A key question: What is Einstein's philosophy when studying a concept as complex as time that resulted in a simple equation?
Ina - I remember being captivated by the story of the Lost Colony at Roanoke as a middle schooler! I always wonder what happened to the colonists. I love reading all the new theories of what may have happened to that brave group of people. There are updates and theories that I would like to study in more depth. I am particularly interested in the personal aspect. What happened to those brave people setting out into a New World?
Shasha - Recently I have been watching the cartoon series of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. I enjoyed it very much when I was a little girl, yet I had forgotten about details. As I review these episodes, I have become more interested in learning about how the author L. Frank Baum first came up with this idea, and what themes and ideas he was trying to convey through this story. I also want to know something about different versions and adaptations of this story and what impacts they have on the audience in different time periods, and also which versions are the most popular with audiences?
Shuhui -There is no doubt that Japanese culture is tied in a hundred and one ways with Chinese culture. To be specific, Chinese culture has had an enormous impact on almost all aspects of life in Japan for nearly 2,000 years, and the influences can still be seen today. On the other side, along with the rapidly economic and technological growth of Japan, Japanese cultures are also influencing on the development of Chinese civilization conversely. The cultural connection attracts me a lot to compare and contrast the cultures between China and Japan, including the language, history, literature, animation, technology and so forth.
Mei - I am always interested in psychology and the freewriting in class just reminded me to a book I have read many years ago -- Men are from Mars, women are from Venus by John Gray, and I am really curious about the differences between man and woman influenced by their gender. I would love to explore the following questions on a deeper level: How does man differ from woman psychologically? And what kind of influence does it have upon their life as couples or partners?
Jing- I am a big fan of the film series The Lord of the Rings. Knowing that the huge project was done in New Zealand, I am always dreaming of visiting this country one day. I am really eager to do researches on the places in New Zealand that were used for the filming. I want to know why the director chose these places and how they are presented in the films.
Yunfei - I love the thriller novel "Gone Girl" written by Gillian Flynn. I am a big fan of the novels including mystery, suspense, and crime genres. I watched the movie first and I really love the story then I read the book. The novel's suspense comes from the main character, Nick Dunne, and whether he is involved in the disappearance of his wife Amy. I am curious about whether Nick and Amy can live a happy life after all those stories happened between them.
Nicole- I'm a 28 year old obsessed with Theodor Geisel. What most people don't know is that before he became a world renowned children's author, he began his career writing political cartoon ads for newspapers. As he began writing children's books, he used a lot of characters to represent political leaders in society. I would love to research his books that have political meanings behind them.
Yue - Charlie and chocolate factory (Burton’s version) is one of my all-time favorite movies. The movie tells us a simple story, the only complicated part of the movie is the process of how Charlie got himself a golden ticket to be able to visit the mysterious and attractive chocolate factory. It’s weirdly entertaining and satisfying. I like the way the movie tells us a classic story with some great life lessons which offers a good opportunity to teach children about values. I'd like to do research on what makes the book so unique among children's books.
Chris - As an undergraduate, horror films and gothic literature formed one of my enduring interests. One theme that recurred to me over and over was that of the monster. This is similar to the notion of an antagonist--it's a personified obstacle for the protagonist. In horror, however, the monster is usually also the source of disgust or fear for the audience. Whether it is an eldritch fiend in the cosmological horror of H.P. Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood, or a more intimate and relatable teenage vampire in John Lindqvist's work, these characters are part of what marks the contours of horror as a genre. For my project, I would be interested in looking at different ways gothic authors understand the concept of the monster and how these creatures have their antecedents in our culture, politics, etc.
Deb - C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I love living in his imagination and noticing the different medieval elements he incorporates into his writing, especially in Narnia! While he exercised his creativity in ways I envy, his reason and logic is simultaneously dense and decipherable, even to the most illogical brain (like me!). He loved writing and creating new worlds and works. He shared these ideas with a close knit group of friends, including J. R. R Tolkien, called The Inklings. I want to look more into that group--the things they discussed, how they influenced each other's writings. Or, I would like to look into the letters he wrote to children. Many people would write him letters, but he especially paid close attention to letters from children.
Diana - As someone with an enduring interest in folklore, how stories are adapted and changed as always been a major interest of mine. I would love to extremely interested in the Matter of Britain . The story seems to be constantly told and retold, and is both loved by British and American writers and artists. Historians debate on whether or not King Arthur was a real person, new interpretations of the story are constantly appearing. I would love to examine more about what attracts people to the Matter of Britain and why we continue to retell the story.
Taylor - As most of this time, I typically enjoy seeing the newest Disney movie. As my students learned last semester, the original ideas for stories such as The Little Mermaid were much different than the Disney version. I would like to research what attracts Disney to these stories and how they go about the process of changing the stories to be more Disney.